In &uot;The Shawshank Redemption,&uot; Brooks is paroled from prison after more than 30 years behind its confining –&160;and perhaps comforting — walls. Unable to cope with &uot;freedom&uot; after all those years of being institutionalized, he commits suicide.

The movie’s message is a strong one: Brooks’ hope had died inside those prison walls, and the institution became his comfort and his life.

Louisiana lawmakers are hearing that same refrain this week as lifers from Angola Penitentiary testify before a Senate subcommittee seeking ways to reduce the state’s $600 million prison cost.

”The only thing I look forward to every day is death,” said 51-year-old Lamont Matthews, convicted of second degree murder in Lafayette 14 years ago.

And this, from Leotha Brown, who was convicted of second-degree murder: ”We are not the same men we were when we made those bad mistakes. If we have no way to prove it, like parole, then the system itself is not working.”

Whether or not the system is &uot;working&uot; is an endless debate. Unarguable is the fact that the system is incredibly expensive — garnering $50 million more in state funds last year while public education received no significant funding increases.

And for what?

The senators on that subcommittee are being asked to make parole requirements less restrictive, giving elderly inmates sentenced to life in prison for first- or second-degree murder the option of parole.

Is that the answer to reducing the state’s snowballing prison system expenses?

We don’t think so. Simply turning inmates out of prison based on their age –&160;and motivated by cost-cutting measures — shortchanges the purpose of the prison system.

Instead, we challenge lawmakers to find ways other ways to reduce costs while keeping inmates behind bars.

Then spend some of that other money on education, health care and dozens of other services that can help prevent the growth of crime.